PAHO finds inefficiencies in K.H.M.H.

It has been a little over a month since the deaths of thirteen newborns in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital was first reported in the media.  Following news of the tragedy, an inquiry was launched by the K.H.M.H. Authority and while it was later discovered that a possible bacterial infection may have been the cause of death, no one has been held responsible for what is widely regarded as gross negligence on the part of the hospital administration.  An investigation was subsequently conducted by a technical mission on behalf of the Pan American Health Organization in an effort to contain the epidemic which occurred between April eighteenth and May twentieth.  The findings will be discussed during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.  A summary of the study, which includes the fact that an Infection Control Committee, as an advisory body to the Infection Prevention and Control program at K.H.M.H., was non-functional, has been released to the media.  Additionally, it indicates that the hospital lacks standard precautions for infection control and prevention.  K.H.M.H. is also deficient when it comes to hand washing sinks and hygiene solutions.  Furthermore, the walls and ceiling tiles show signs of exposure to water leaks, mold growth, as well as rusty furniture and porous surfaces in critical care areas.  These and other findings will be discussed by a panel including Minister of Health Pablo Marin, Chandra Cansino, Chair of the Board of Governors for K.H.M.H., C.E.O. in the Ministry of Health Dr. Peter Allen and Dr. Francis Gary Longsworth, C.E.O. of K.H.M.H.